308 



FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1908. 



upper Columbia and in Alaska it is called "redfish;" in the lower 

 Columbia, "blueback;" in Puget Sound, "sockeye;" and in the 

 Fraser River, "suk-kegh. " It averages about 8 pounds in weight 

 and ranks next to the Chinook salmon in value at the canneries. 

 2. The name is also applied to the "glut herring " (Pomolobus sesti- 

 valis) in Massachusetts and in the later runs of the Rappahannock. 



Blue con. — See Cultus cod. 



Bluefin (Leucichthysnigripinnis). — One of the whitefishes found 

 in Lake Michigan; also called "blackfin." 



Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix). — A very gamy food fish found 

 on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. On the coast of the New England 

 and Middle states it is called "bluefish; " in Rhode Island, "horse- 

 mackerel; " south of Cape Hatteras, "skipjack; " in North Carolina, 

 Virginia, and Maryland, "tailor" and "greenfish;" in the Gulf 

 of Mexico, "bluefish." Young bluefish are called "snapping 

 mackerel," "snappers," and "salt-water tailors" in some parts of 

 New England; "blue snappers" about New Bedford, and "skip 

 mackerel" about New York. Bluefish vary in weight from 1 

 to 20 pounds, according to season and locality. Large numbers 

 are caught during the summer months with nets, traps, seines, 

 and hand lines. The name is improperly applied to the squeteague 

 (Cynoscion regalis) from southern New Jersey to Virginia, to the 

 black sea-bass (Centropristes striatus) at Newport and New Bedford, 

 to the "greenfish " (Girella nigricans) on the California coast south of 

 Monterey, and to the bonito (Sarda sarda) in the markets. 



Bluefish mummichog. — See Mullet. 



Blunt-nosed shiner (Selene vomer). — A familiar food fish found 

 along the Atlantic coast from Florida to Cape Cod and in the Gulf 

 of Mexico. It is known in various places as "hogfish;" in North 

 Carolina, as "moonfish"or "sunfish;"in Florida, as "moonfish;" 

 at Woods Hole, as "humpbacked butterfish;" and in the New York 

 market and Narragansett Bay, as "pug-nosed shiner." It is from 

 8 to 12 inches long. 



Boccaccio. — See Rockfish. 



Bonito (Sarda sarda). — A food fish found in the Atlantic Ocean. 

 It weighs from 2 to 10 pounds, and is caught with hand lines and in 

 nets. The name is also applied to all the larger scombroids, and 

 to the cobia (Rachycentron canadum) in the Chesapeake. 



Bowfin (Amiatus calva). — A fresh-water food fish found in the 

 Great Lakes and in the streams which flow into the south Atlantic 

 and the Gulf of Mexico. It is also called "dogfish," "sawyer," 

 "mud-fish," "grindle," etc., in different localities. It reaches a 

 weight of 10 to 12 pounds, and is caught with hook and line. It is 

 used for food in some states. 



Bowhead (Balsena mystieetus). — A whale of great commercial 

 importance found in the Arctic regions. It is the most valuable 

 of all whales. It yields large quantities of oil. It has the finest 

 and longest baleen. 



Bream. — A name used in many localities, generally with some 

 descriptive prefix, for the common fresh-water sunfish. At Charles- 

 ton the sailor's choice (Lagodon rhomboides) is known as "salt-water 

 bream." The golden shiner (Abramis crysoleucas) is also called 

 "bream" in some localities, as is the rockfish (Sebastes marinus). 



Brook trout. — See Speckled trout. 



Buffalo fish, Red or big-mouthed buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinella); 

 Black or mongrel buffalo (/. urus); and Small-mouthed or 

 white buffalo (/. bubalus). — These fresh-water suckers are com- 

 mon to the waters of the Mississippi Valley and sometimes weigh 

 30 to 40 pounds. They are caught with nets and hand lines. 

 "Buffalo carp " is a name sometimes erroneously applied to them. 



Bullfrog (Rana catesbiana). — A very familiar fresh-water am- 

 phibian found in nearly all localities in the United States. It is 

 the largest of the frogs, sometimes reaching a length of 8 inches 

 along back. The hind quarters are used extensively for food. 



Bull-head. — See Horned pout. 



Burbot (Lota maculosa). — A fresh- water fish found in most of the 

 lakes and streams in the northern part of the United States. In 

 various localities it is called "ling," "lawyer," "lake cusk," "eel- 



pout," "dogfish," "chub-eel," "fresh-water cod," "mother »f 

 eels," "aleby trout," etc. It reaches a length of 30 inches. 



Butterfish (Poronotus triacanthus). — A food fish found on the 

 Atlantic coast from Maine to Florida. It is called "butterfish" in 

 Massachusetts and New York, "harvest-fish "in New Jersey, "dollar- 

 fish" in Maine, "sheepshead" and "skipjack" about Cape Cod, 

 "pumpkin-seed" in Connecticut, and "starfish" at Norfolk. It 

 has an average length of 7 to 8 inches, and is caught in traps and 

 pounds. 



Cabrilla. — A name applied indiscriminately to several serranoid 

 fishes of the southern coast of California. They are also called ' ' rock 

 bass," "kelp salmon," "Johnny Verde," "lockeecod" (Chinese), 

 etc. They are from 1 to 2 feet long, weigh 2 to 5 pounds, and are 

 used extensively for food . 



Calico bass (Pomoxis sparoides). — A food fish found in the Great 

 Lakes, in the Mississippi Valley, and in the streams of the Carolinas 

 and eastern Georgia. In Lake Erie and in Ohio generally it is called 

 "strawberry bass" or "grass bass;" in Lake Michigan, "barfish;" 

 in Illinois, "calico bass;" in the South, "goggle-eye" or "goggle- 

 eyed perch;" also sometimes called "bitter-head," and "lamp- 

 lighter." It averages from 1 to 2 pounds in weight, and is caught 

 with hook and line. 



Candlefish. — See Eulachon. The black candlefish (Anoplopoma 

 fimbria) is found on the Pacific coast from Monterey northward. 



Capelin (Mallotus villosus). — A small fish of the smelt family 

 found in the north Atlantic as far south as Maine, in Bering Sea, 

 and in the Arctic Ocean. It reaches a length of about 12 inches. 

 It is valuable food for other fish, especially the cod, and is used 

 extensively for bait. They are caught in seines and dip nets, 

 generally at night. The name is incorrectly applied to the silver- 

 side (Menidia notata) in the vicinity of Boston. 



Carp (Cyprinus carpio). — A fresh-water food fish of great interest 

 to fish culturists, now found in ponds and streams in nearly every 

 state of the Union. As a result of domestication several varieties 

 have arisen, the principal ones being the "scale carp," heavily 

 scaled, the "mirror carp," with a few series of very large scales, and 

 the "leather carp," naked. The size varies with the temperature 

 and clearness of the water, the abundance and nature of the food 

 supply, the kind of bottom, etc. They lire to a ripe old age, and 

 sometimes attain a weight of more than 40 pounds. Also known as 

 "German carp." 



Catfish (Siluridx). — The American species include the sea cat- 

 fishes of the Atlantic coast, the channel cats of all the rivers east of 

 the Rocky Mountains, the horned pout widely distributed through 

 the brooks and ponds of the states, and the diminutive mad toms. 

 The various species are distinguished by the common names of 

 "channel cat," "bluecat," "Mississippi cat," "mud cat," "flannel- 

 mouth," "horned pout," "bull-head," "minister," "goujon," 

 "bashaw," "gaff- topsail," etc. They vary in length from 1 to 5 feet 

 and in weight from 2 to 150 pounds. They are caught by means 

 of nets , traps, hand lines, and jugging, and are largely used for food. 

 Cavalla. See Crevalle. 

 Cero. — See Spanish mackerel. 



Cetaceans. — Marine mammals, more or less fishlike in form, 

 found in all seas, such as whales, dolphins, porpoises, etc. 

 Channel-bass. — See Red-drum. 



Chicken halibut. — A name applied to small or young halibut. 

 They are sold at a slightly higher price per pound than the common- 

 sized fish. The name is also incorrectly applied to the summer 

 flounder (Paralichthys dentatus). 

 Chinook salmon. — See Quinnat. 



Chogset ( Tautogolabrus adspersus) . — This fish is found mostly in 

 bays and harbors on the coast north of New York. It is also called 

 "cunner," "sea perch," "perch," "bergall," "nippers," "bait- 

 stealer," etc. It is similar to the tautog in appearance and is gen- 

 erally associated with it; it is from 8 to 10 inches long, and weighs 

 about 1 pound. It is caught in bag nets and with hook and line, 

 and in some localities used for food. 



